Programs that are delivered via the Internet are often highly compressed video on demand (VOD) content that are encoded to be displayed via a general-purpose computer rather than a set top box. Several methods have been developed to improve the use of the Internet as a viable conduit for delivering VOD content, including buffering, locally caching, and changing the content profile of the content (e.g., aspect ratio, resolution, bit rate) to address changing network conditions.
Prior cable television service networks provided consumers with limited access to on demand broadcast programs in the form of pay-per-view (PPV) programming. PPV programming, however, is transmitted via a separate channel over a cable television service network, and as more PPV channels are added, available bandwidth over the cable television service network is reduced accordingly. Moreover, because PPV is provided on a separate channel, program guides and channel assignments reflect its programming apart from standard channels and their programming, reducing the consumer's ability to easily navigate to and from the PPV programming.